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Afrika Bambaataa pays tribute to fellow Pioneer Mr Magic

October 2, 2009 By

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afrikabambataashadescolor-2The Universal Zulu Nation gives HONOR and RESPECT to Brother Mr. Magic who was a Giant and Pioneer in the Growth of Hip Hop Radio. A brother who was not scare to challenge what was being played on mainstream radio. A brother who show Love not Hate when it came down to playing all forms of Hip Hop Music on the airwaves. A brother whom gave Hip Hop events so that the artist could have a venue to show their skills and craft for the people who love Hip Hop. A brother who help so many to start a career in Hip Hop as well as to help many artist get a record deal. Many of us in The Universal Zulu Nation knew of this brother before he was name Mr. Magic and watch him grow in the name of Hip Hop. He is due Respect and Honor and he will be truly missed. Mr. Magic May Allah be please with your soul and to your Family, Relatives and Friends many Blissings (not Blessings cause Blessings in Etymology means MArk with Blood) be unto you all.

To all our Brothers and Sisters in Hp Hop Community World Wide or Humans of Earth. The Angel of Death has been claiming many entertainers/artist in the last 3 years. We know we all have to past this life but something is going wrong with All Humans Beings on the planet,especially dealing with our health and what food we eat and the negativity that we all put out to the atmosphere all over Mother Earth.We must make a change for the better of ourselves and Mother Earth. This is no Joke to play with. Your bodies can be of Gods and Goddesses or it can be of the Devil = Hate and Chaos. Which side of The Matrix will you Chose.

Take care of yourselves and May The Supreme Force to whom is called by so many names Bliss and watch out for All of Us on Earth and Beyond.
Love,Truth, Peace, Freedom and Justice
Brother Afrika Bambaataa
The Amen Ra of Universal Hip Hop Culture

Filed Under: 2009-Daily Hip Hop News Tagged With: , , , ,

Remembering Mr Magic (RIP)-Hip Hop Loses It’s Frankie Crocker

October 2, 2009 By

daveydbanner

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Remembering Mr Magic-Hip Hop Loses It’s Frankie Crocker

by Davey D and Mark Skillz

mr-magic-225Today just getting word that one of our Hip Hop pioneers has passed. As I started writing this we’re still trying to officially confirm, but according to what DJ Premier twitted earlier Mr Magic who was best known as being among the first to have a Hip Hop show on a major radio station has passed.  Still trying to process all this, because we’ve lost so many people this year. It was just a week or so ago we were mourning the passing of DJ Roc Raida.  For us in the Bay Area we lost a longtime KPFA  radio colleague and well known activist Gina Hotta. She passed of a heart attack. What we’re hearing w/ Mr Magic he too passed of a heart attack. He was 55 years old.

If you were around in the late 70s/early 80s then you will clearly understand what Magic meant to Hip Hop. For years he was the pinnacle. When he started out on WHBI, just hearing his show was major. It was a really big deal, because what we were doing in the parks, at rec centers and in our living rooms was insulated. No one else in the world knew what was bubbling up in the Bronx.  When Magic got picked up and was added to the line up of commercial station WBLS.. It was major. One of our own had graduated and was on the big stage. Saturday night was what so many of us eagerly looked foward to…Mr Magic with his booming voice gave Hip Hop that importance. He had what they call gravitas. He made you and Hip Hop official. He was a radio announcer not a kid doing college radio. He wasn’t someone shouting into a microphone. He was our Frankie Crocker, who was the legendary DJ and at the time program director for WBLS.

Was just talking to Hip Hop historian and writer Mark Skillz  who also grew up on Magic and he noted that Magic laid the ground work for every on air personality that came from the streets and made it to radio. He was always classy even when he was arrogant and he could sure be arrogant at times.  He was older than the average listener and fan of rap at that time and could’ve easily been associated with disco or soul music. But he put everything on the line because he really believed in the music. On a couple of occasions he was fired. The most infamous occasion was when he stood up to Frankie Crockerwho as mentioned was a legend in his on right. Crocker wanted to change formats and take rap off the air. Magic stood up to him and refused to change his show and was fired resulting in him returning to his first station WHBI.  Skillz added that its important to understand that back then and even recently, people paid to have a show on WHBI. You had to raise money to have a slot on the air.

Magic was important to two different eras of Hip Hop. He was the connection to the  pioneering day also known as True School. He was the one that brought us Flash, Mele-Mel, Crash Crew, Sugar Hill, Busy Bee etc.  he later became the important gateway to the what we now know as the Golden Era. He was once dubbed Sir Juice as he was the big connection and champion for the Juice Crew. Skill z was sharing memories with Sweet Gee this morning upon hearing the news and was reminded by G that the original Juice Crew was Sal Abbatiello, Sweet Gee, DJ June Bug, Kurtis Blow and Mr Magic aka Sir Juice.Sal who owned the Fever night club brought them all diamond rings. In many ways for  long before Diddy, Jay-Z  or the Jiggy era came along, Magic and his people personified flashiness within Hip Hop. They were smooth and represented the style of the day.  

Skillz was  recounting seeing Magic wearing rings on every finger and having  gold rope chains. He used to sport a shark skin suit. He was a Hip Hop version of Mr Tee. Back then that was Hip Hop at its finest for better or for worse.

When he got his Rap Attack show on WBLS he was the man. Folks old enough will recall what it meant to record a Mr Magic show. Those cassette tapes got passed all around the world. He was that dude. Interestingly enough Magic followed the important tradition long established by Black radio DJs of being our mouthpiece and Griot of sorts. In many ways he was the face of Hip Hop and our ambassador. He was our connection to the outside world, the corporate world etc. When his show came on, all of New York stopped what they were doing and tuned in.  Words are simply inadequate so others reading this will have to add in.

We also recall the role that Magic played in sparking the infamous bridge wars between the Bronx via KRS and BDP and Queens via the Juice Crew. Magic was so important that if he didn’t play your record or publicly rejected you as he did BDP,  it wasn’t a thing to easily shake off.  I won’t get into along recounting of that tale, but lets just say a lot of careers were born through the BDP vs Juice Crew saga. The attention he garnered help heighten the position of than rival DJ Red Alert who was holding it down and backing BDP on Kiss FM while Magic backed Marley Marlwho was his official deejay along with the Juice Crew as we know them today on WBLS…Also on a side note lets stress the fact that the battle was more like a battle of the bands and not the type of vicious beefs where folks get shot or beaten up. It was competitive, theatrical and capitivating

We also need to remember as Paradise of X-Clan pointed  out  Mr Magic also gave Whodini their first break .Jalil used to answer the phones to his show. Hence the group’s first song ‘Mr Magic’s Magic Wand.

So many memories its hard to really do justice. .. For those who remember Mr Magic please share. 

In closing I’d be wrong not to point out the 800 pound gorilla in the room. I’m talking healthcare. I’m not sure what Magic’s finances or personal situation was, but dying of a heart attack while in your 50s is not a good look and should be a wake up call for us all on a number of levels. One one level is for us to seriously look at how we’re living. Stress and strife are taking its toll. Stress from finances, stress from work, stress from living in dangerous situations silently and suddenly do us in.  On another level, many of us have not taken care of ourselves with routine check ups and visits to the doctor to help us avoid such tragedies. We shouldn’t forget as Skillz points out that it was only a few years ago that Magic’s DJ Marley Marl had a heart attack. We also lost Professor Xwho was also around the same age through meningitis.   Was it lack of health insurance or bad and fast living? I can’t call it, but all of us need to sit back and ask why we have lost so many people at young ages this year. It hasn’t been shootings its been failing health..

Hip Hop pioneer Kurtis Blow reminded us that Mr Magic put a record  Its a rare gem and it has him rapping. Its called “Its a Better Way’

RIP Mr Magic

Something to Ponder

-Davey D-

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Filed Under: 2009-Daily Hip Hop News, Life style articles, Southern Shift Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Choosing Hip over Hype-WBLS Beats Hot 97 Again

June 23, 2006 By

dbanner1newparis

Choosing Hip over Hype
Listeners emerge from radio daze,
tuning out Hot 97 to pump up WBLSBy Errol Louis

orginal article-June 23, 2006

http://www.nydailynews.com/06-23-2006/news/col/story/ 429055p-361762c.html
 

Here’s some news that will be music to the ears of the many New Yorkers who have grown sick of the vulgarity, violence and stale, payola-driven programming that has poisoned much of urban radio and black culture in general.According to the latest Arbitron figures, tens of thousands of listeners appear to be tuning out Hot 97 – which used to be ranked the No.1 hip hop/R&B station in New York – in favor of WBLS, which beat out Hot 97 in each of the last two ratings periods.

WBLS has been on a tear for the past year, thanks to its decision to hire two powerhouse broadcasters: Steve Harvey, who hosts a morning drive time talk-and-music show, and Wendy Williams, who holds down a block from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Harvey and Williams are seasoned radio personalities who bring wit, intelligence and a positive message to a mostly black audience that is hungry for quality.

You don’t hear the b-word or N-word tossed around on WBLS; Harvey and Williams are too classy to insult their audience that way. And listeners have responded in droves.

According to Arbitron, WBLS had 3.1f the city’s teen and adult radio listeners last winter, but has increased its audience size over each of the last four ratings periods, building its share up to 3.9àDuring the same time, Hot 97 slipped steadily from 4.5f listeners to 3.7à

In plain English, WBLS now draws about 30,664 more listeners than Hot 97 during any given period between 6 a.m. and midnight. That can translate into millions of advertising dollars moving from the losing station to the winner.

The numbers are a victory for community groups that called for a boycott of Hot 97 following its repeated broadcast of a sickening song parody that mocked victims of the 2004 tsunami that devastated Asia. More negative press dogged the station thanks to three shootings in front of its office over the last few years by the entourages of rappers invited by – and sometimes incited by – station deejays.

The decline of “Shot 97” provides powerful evidence that positive, quality programming ultimately wins more listeners – and advertising dollars – than shallow shock radio.

Power 105.1, the third urban-format station, has been dropping in the rankings as well, losing to WBLS earlier this year and barely eking out a win most recently with 4f listeners. The station’s rankings may continue to fall, thanks to the recent, career-ending tirade of Power 105.1’s ex-morning host, Troi (Star) Torain, who got a pink slip and a criminal indictment after threatening, on-air, to sexually assault the 4-year-old child of a rival deejay at (where else?) Hot 97.

“The hip-hop stations are losing audience share all over the country. How much can you hear about Jay-Z?” says Paul Porter, a media critic who runs a Web site, IndustryEars.com. “Steve Harvey’s topical; he’ll point out things you won’t get on other shows. He’s going to be the biggest voice in black radio.”

Credit for the changing mood also goes to groups like the Boston-based Seymour Institute, a black think tank, that have been quietly waging an effort, church by church, to mobilize the black middle-class against the hedonistic and violent lyrics and imagery that have sprouted in hip-hop culture like weeds.

“There is a cultural marketing machine that pushes toxic entertainment upon black adults, adolescents and children each day,” says the Seymour group in a recent manifesto. “There is no need for the black community to be complicit in its own degradation.”

The same message is being echoed by local grass-roots groups, from www.abolishthenword.com to an organization from a Bronx church called the Council of Bad Language Disdainers.

Cultural politics aside, Harvey and Williams are succeeding because they do radio the way it should be: smooth and smart. Tune into 107.5 FM and listen for yourself.

 

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Filed Under: Essential Hip Hop Articles, Hip Hop Articles 2006, Hip Hop News articles, Industry news & Views, June '06 Articles Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Have We Had Enough of Hip Hop Radio?

June 12, 2006 By

dbanner1newparis

Have We Had Enough of Hip Hop Radio?
By Davey D
original article-June 12 2006

daveyd-raider2If you check the latest ratings you may find it interesting to note the fall of some prominent Hip Hop stations in Los Angeles and New York. For the first time in a long time WBLS an adult oriented station is actually doing better then both Hot 97 and Power 105. In Los Angeles none of the urban stations (KPWR-Power 106), KKBT 100.3 the Beat and KDAY are in the top 10. The fall of Power 106 which is sister station to Hot 97 is major when you consider the fact for years this was the dominant station in LA.

This huge drop in ratings leads to one asking what’s really going on here. Is the public growing tired of the same Laffy Taffy, homogenous G-Unit format that can be heard on every Hip Hop station from city to city and from coast to coast?

Are the audiences of these stations getting older and simply want something a lot smoother and more adult oriented then the crunk style offerings that dominate the Hip Hop stations? Does the fall of these stations indicate better things to come? Will the program directors of these outlets finally get it and start giving the people what they want versus what the record labels say they need?

I ran into Greg Street of V103 in Atlanta the other day and asked him about this and he pointed out something interesting. He noted that many of the deejays on those stations that are falling aren’t true on air personalities. Yes, many of them may have name recognition. Some of them are artists and TV stars, but he pointed out that very few have actually been apprentices to radio. He said this comes into play at the end of the day, because people really want more than celebrity.

He added that theres a science, methodology and commitment one has to have when it comes to doing radio. He pointed out how many have been tossed on the air and have not been given any rhyme or reason as to how they should be doing things. He said that people are growing tired of hearing cats come on the air and not really talk about nothing and not do anything.

He also pointed out that very few go out and do things in the community for the sake of making a difference, as opposed to doing a promotional gimmick for the station or themselves. Street pointed to the high ratings and success of V103 in Atlanta as proof of his point. Will you ever see a personality like Funkmaster Flex going into the schools trying to mentor kids who need it or will it become a big event complete with TV crews and lights designed to highlight him and the station versus the kids who really need help?

Street talked about all the behind the scenes community work he and others at his station do that is not promoted on the air. He says its done because he is really a part of the community and the lives of his listeners. At the end of the day its that sort of commitment that will win out in the end.

Journalist Mark Skillz noted this in an article he penned a few months back called ‘Shout Out Radio’ where he pointed out how today’s on air personalities do nothing more then give shout outs on the air. They shout out friends, celebrities and album release dates for particular artists and walk away thinking that’s enough, when in fact the community and listeners need and want so much more.

He noted that people get turned off when they turn on the radio and have to endure some deejay bragging about how he was backstage hanging out with an artist drinking Cristal when most couldnt even afford a ticket to the event. He said that these jocks have increasingly become out of touch with the listeners and have ceased being effective conduits for the community that craves information that is meaningful.

With the demise of some of these big urban giants we have to also look at the big drop in album sales for many big named artists despite increased promotion and hype. 50 Cent going from 8 million albums sold on his first release to 4 million albums sold on the Massacre album is a good case in point.

While record label execs are quick to spin this and note that 50 sold the most albums last year, they are slow to point out that he had 5 times the promotion put behind him. In 2005 he had several expensive marketing campaigns including ones to promote his movie, energy drink, video game and book. He was always on MTV and BET and could be heard in regular rotation on Top 40 stations thus indicating that he had crossed over to the mainstream. Like I said all that promotion didnt come cheap. It was brought and paid for, yet instead of increased album sales you saw less.

Blaming it on downloads and bootleg CDs doesnt explain the big drop off. Theres no way 4 million albums were downloaded. And if that was the case explain the drop in ratings with many of these urban Hip Hop stations where his music is played day in and day out. Is it too much? Are we being oversaturated with the same old same old? Are these stations missing the mark?

KKBT the Beat in LA recently switched up their format and said they wanted to abandon rap and play R&B while fusing it with adult oriented talk. They wanted to go back to the tradition of urban radio where your favorite jock hit you upside the head with good music and good conversation. That seems to fly in the face of the More Music Less Talk mantra that is embraced by most commercial radio. Is this whats needed or is there something else missing? Now we know they’re onto something with being more adult. But should Hip Hop be included? Is there adult oriented Hip Hop both in content and sound?

Some say that the music needs to match the mindset of the people. Its too dumbed down and juvenile. The other night at the House of Blues, the Roots performed to a sold out crowd that ranged the entire age and ethnic gauntlet. You saw gangsta types and Bohemian types all up in the venue grooving along to the band and their special guest which included Blackstar w/ Mos Def and Talib and GZA from Wu-Tang.

Tickets were being scalped outside for 100 bucks a pop. A local deejay that will go unnamed asked out loud how come her/his radio station never plays The Roots when its obvious that they have such a big fan base and this is what a lot people want? Why cant we hear more Pete Rock and CL Smooth melodic type music?

Conventional wisdom will point to album sales and say these types of acts dont have high numbers hence they should not get played. However, Mobb Deep didnt do that well with their last album and we hear them all the time so whats really going?

We also have heard conventional wisdom from industry experts that says groups like The Roots or Little Brother are too smart and will go over the heads of the average listener. In other words the people are just too dumb to appreciate music that moves beyond being loud and having a monotonous 4 count.

In any case one cant deny were at a crossroads. Im not sure how it will all pan out but change is definitely needed

#1 New York, NY
Updated 5/22/2006
Spring ’06 ARBITRENDS (February, March, April)

Pop: 15,332,000
Black: 2,710,700 (18%) Hispanic: 3,212,500 (21%) Asian: 787,047 (5%)

Station Format Owner………….. Spr 05… Sum 05… Fall 05… Win 06… F/M/A 06

WLTW AC Clear Channel…………6.1… 5.8… 7.4… 6.6… 7.1
WSKQ Spanish SBS……………….4.8…4.2…4.5…5.6…5.6
WHTZ Top 40/M Clear Channel….3.9…4.2…4.4…4.7…4.7

WRKS Urban AC Emmis….4.7…5.5…4.5…4.4…4.5

WPAT Spanish SBS………………..2.9…3.2…3.7…4.5…4.4
WINS-A News CBS Radio………….3.7…4.2…4.2…4.1…4.0

WBLS Urban AC Inner City…….3.6…3.1…3.5…3.7…3.8

 WWPR Urban Clear Channel…4.0…4.6…4.1…3.9…3.7

 WQHT Top 40/R Emmis…….4.3…4.5…4.3…3.7…3.5

WABC-A Talk ABC………………….3.2…3.6…3.4…3.5…3.3
WAXQ Classic Rock Clear Channel…3.5…3.2…2.7…3.0…3.3
WQCD Smooth Jazz Emmis…………2.9…3.0…3.1…2.9…3.0
WKTU Top 40/R Clear Channel…3.0…3.0…2.7…2.7…2.8
WCAA/WZAA Spanish Univision……2.4…2.8…2.8…2.4…2.5
WCBS-A News CBS Radio………3.0…2.7…3.1…2.5…2.4

WQXR Classical NY Times 2.6… 1.8… 2.3… 2.7… 2.4
WPLJ Hot AC ABC 2.4… 2.2… 2.2 … 2.1 … 2.3
WFAN-A Sports CBS Radio 2.6… 2.7… 2.7… 2.2… 2.2
WOR-A Talk Buckley 2.3… 2.1… 2.2… 2.1… 2.2
WCBS-F AC CBS Radio 3.0… 1.5… 1.7… 1.5… 1.7
WNEW AC CBS Radio 2.0 2.3 1.8 1.8 1.7

WADO-A Spanish Univision 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.5 1.2
WFNY Talk CBS Radio 3.4 3.2 3.2 1.1 1.1
WALK AC Clear Channel 0.9 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
WLIB-A Talk Inner City 1.0 1.2 1.4 0.8 1.0

#2 Los Angeles, CA
Updated 5/23/2006
Spring ’06 ARBITRENDS (February, March, April)

Pop: 10,790,100
Black: 822,300 (8%) Hispanic: 4,422,000 (41%) Asian: 0 (0%)
Station Format Owner Spr 05 Sum 05… Fall 05… Win 06… F/M/A 06

KLVE Spanish Univision 4.0… 4.2… 4.3… 4.8 … 4.9
KIIS Top 40/M Clear Channel 4.7… 4.4… 4.3… 4.9 … 4.6
KFI-A Talk Clear Channel 3.9… 4.0… 4.0… 4.0… 4.5
KSCA Regional Mexican Univision 4.0… 3.5… 3.8… 4.2… 4.4
KLAX Regional Mexican SBS 4.0… 3.7… 3.3… 4.3… 4.1

KBUA/KBUE Mexican Liberman 3.1… 3.1… 3.3… 3.6… 3.9
KOST AC Clear Channel 3.7… 3.1… 4.4… 3.8… 3.8
KROQ Alternative CBS Radio 3.7… 3.8… 3.9… 3.5… 3.5
KCBS Adult Hits CBS Radio 3.0… 3.4… 2.9… 3.4… 3.3
KTWV Smooth Jazz CBS Radio 3.8… 3.0… 3.2… 3.3… 3.3

KRCD/KRCV Spanish Univision 2.6… 2.5… 3.2 … 3.4… 3.2
KXOL Hurban SBS 2.0… 4.2… 3.6 … 3.2… 3.0

KPWR Top 40/R Emmis

4.2… 4.0… 3.5… 3.2… 2.8

[/u]
KRTH Oldies CBS Radio 2.5… 2.7… 2.7… 2.7… 2.8
KHHT R&B Oldies Clear Channel 2.9… 3.0… 2.8… 2.4… 2.4

KSSE Spanish Entravision 2.4… 2.3… 2.2… 2.4… 2.3
KABC-A Talk ABC 2.1… 2.5… 2.4… 2.3… 2.2
KBIG Hot AC Clear Channel 1.9… 2.3… 2.3… 2.1… 2.1
KLOS Classic Rock ABC 2.0… 2.1… 2.1… 1.9… 2.1

KKBT Urban Radio One

3.2… 2.5… 2.4… 1.9… 1.8

KZLA Country Emmis 1.8 1.9 1.7 1.8 1.8
KNX-A News CBS Radio 1.5 1.7 1.7 1.6 1.6
KJLH Urban AC Taxi 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.4 1.5
KLSX Talk CBS Radio 2.3 2.5 2.2 1.5 1.5
KMZT Classical Mount Wilson 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.5
KYSR Hot AC Clear Channel 1.9 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.5

KFWB-A News CBS Radio 1.6 1.4 1.2 1.3 1.3
KHJ-A Spanish Liberman — 0.8 0.8 1.0 1.2
KLYY Tropical Entravision 1.7 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.2
KRLA-A Talk Salem — 1.0 0.8 1.0 1.0
KTLK-A Talk Clear Channel 0.8 0.9 0.7 1.0 1.0

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Filed Under: Essential Hip Hop Articles, Hip Hop Articles 2006, Industry news & Views, June '06 Articles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,